Otherside
by Tenshu-Fantasy01
Summary: The end of KH1, Sora can no long see Kairi or anything for that matter, the light has enveloped his entire body. He expects he'll be taken somewhere familiar, and then he'll set off on his quest to find Riku....but Sora gets a surprise when he wakes up,


Hey this is my first KH fanfiction! It's pretty mild at the start…no yaoi's yet gets binoculars out for yaoi's So anyway yeah, a little RikuxSora fanfiction I hope you enjoy

Disclaimer:

I do not own Kingdom Hearts, nor any of its places or characters, I never will ; ;

HOWEVER,

There are some characters in this that I have made up, or don't know the proper name of so I have given them one (like Sora's mother). I'm not trying to change it or make it mine, I'm trying to make it easier for you guys

Key:

'' Inner thought

Flashback

New section

Reviews:

Good or bad, I don't really mind Please tell me what you thought! Any criticism is good criticism

_**Chapter 1**_

Sora squeezed his eyes shut as the blinding white light surrounded and engulfed him. He suddenly felt numb; tingles shooting through his fingertips and toes, he felt weightless – not falling, floating perhaps. Shortened of breath, he took a few heavy gulps of air; but it didn't help. Continuing to breathe heavily, he tried to catch his breath – but as he took the breath in, something stopped him, smothered him. Sweat drops sprinkled his furrowed brow as he felt pains slashing across his chest; it felt like his lungs were being crushed or squeezed, slowly draining the life from him – he was suffocating.

'…_So-…_'

That voice….it sounded familiar to him. It echoed and reverberated in his head, bouncing from one ear to another until it filled his entire body, making it throb and tingle all over.

'…_Sora…_'

He felt his body twitching gently before being tightly grasped by something; it hauled him over onto his other side hastily. He winced slightly as whatever had grabbed him released its grip; leaving his arm stinging – though his whole body was aching. It also appeared that he was no longer weightless; he could feel something on his back, it was soft but his body felt like it weighted a ton, like he was being pulled down to the floor. His deep gasping breaths were beginning to be taken in properly; he could finally breathe without a wheeze, without something blocking his mouth. After a moment or two his breathing calmed, he could still hear the echoing of his name, over and over, almost feeling it within him, like it was apart of him. His mouth opened slightly to ask 'who are you' but it closed, unable to utter a word.

"Sora!" He frowned – the voice was no longer distant or soft, it was loud and brash. With much effort, he opened his unwilling, heavy eyelids and tried to focus. Everything was a blur at first, but after a few blinks he could see a little better. A tiny squeak emitted from his throat as he tried to move; his body was stiff and sore all over. He turned his head gently to see something that stood out from the brightness coming from a window, a blurry black mass. Sora blinked harshly, forcing himself to focus, and he saw something that almost made him forget the pain and frustration.

"Ri…k-ku…" he uttered quietly. It _was_ Riku, his beautiful aqua eyes were looking at him in a concerned manner, his face rigid with worry – but then a smile graced his thin lips and his face was animated in relief.

"Thank god you're alright." He laughed. "You're such an idiot!" Sora frowned slightly in a painful sort of way, and grimaced when he attempted to move again, small grunts escaping from his throat.

"You turned over in your sleep and almost suffocated yourself on the pillow! If I weren't here you would have died."

"Riku…I…" he started, but Riku leaned in close to him, waving his finger above his face.

"Don't try to talk. It's okay." He said kindly, sitting down again – this time on the edge of the bed. "You were out for a month straight. Your mom's had the doctor round twice a week. Yeah, you've been a real cause for concern boy." He said quite casually. Sora's eyes widened in horror.

'_A month…does that mean…?'  
_

"It….was all….a dream?" he asked himself. Riku regarded him curiously.

"You were dreaming?" he asked, his interest peaked. Sora had been fairly restless the last few days – the last week really.

"Mm…" Sora said forcefully, a low noise in his throat. "We were on an island…we had grown up there – we lived on the main island but used to sail out to a small island just off the coast, we called it Paupu island. Then…something happened and the heartless came…" Sora found the strength to pull himself up, having to place his hand on Riku's shoulder for support, and finding that his fragile, shaking body couldn't support itself. Riku placed his hand on top of Sora's tightly, so he wouldn't fall back.

"Sounds more like a nightmare if you ask me." He said, though not unkindly. Sora blinked lethargically, his dreary sorrowful eyes resting on Riku.

"No…" he shook his head "it was wonderful. But….you and Kairi were separated from me. I tried to find you, but when I did you were…on the bad side…" he lowered his head "and then at the end…I was still searching for you." Riku smiled, squeezing Sora's trembling hand.

"A true friend even in dreams eh? So I was a baddy then?" he said, amusement very obvious in the way he spoke. Lowering Sora's hand from his shoulder, he got up and stretched; tilting to one side and stretching that arm and then repeating visa versa.

"Yeah…you wanted to escape the island so you turned to the darkness for power." Riku looked over his shoulder at him; a smile that was trying to be held back dimpled his cheek.

"I….turned to the 'dark-side'?" he said, finding what his friend spoke of to be very amusing – this shown by a quickly snuffed-out snort. Sora felt slightly angry at this fact and turned to him, coming out of his dreamy daze.

"It's not funny Riku! I thought I'd lost you for good!" Riku's smile faded as he stared at the younger boy's small frame, hearing the quiver in his voice and the pain in his eyes. He was serious. Sitting back down on the bed, he smiled at his friend, lifting his hand to Sora's head and rubbing the soft bouncy hair gently.

"Don't worry, I'm right here. I've not left your side since the accident. I'm your friend – besides, that was just a stupid dream." Sora frowned helplessly and lowered his head.

"But…Riku…I…" He felt tears coming to his eyes. Everything he had ever known had been…a dream? It didn't make sense, how he could have dreamed his whole life in only 1 month? And an accident? What accident? He couldn't accept this – he refused to. All of a sudden the room started to blur and shake; he felt his body falling, as if in slow motion. He hit the bed with a gentle thud. Hearing Riku laughing, he opened his eyes – hoping that maybe what he'd just experienced was a dream.

"Go to sleep Sora, I want you to get better quick okay? I'm telling your mom you've been awake and we'll get the doc out for ya." He said softly, rubbing Sora's arm.

'_His hand…it's soft and warm.'_

Sora's thoughts seemed to float away as darkness took everything over, like an eclipse.

Sora's eyes fluttered open gently as the light on his eyelids changed. He blinked lazily and looked to were Riku had been. He wasn't there.

"Riku!" he shouted, lunging up out of bed. He didn't get far; a huge hand was placed on his chest and he was pushed back down firmly. Coughing weakly, Sora looked up to find that a big, middle-aged man was holding him down.

"Who…?" he asked softly, his eyes moving slightly in the other direction to the other form, though he couldn't see the other person properly.

"I'm your doctor, remember?" he asked – in a way you would perhaps, ask a small child. Sora shook his head, he felt pressure on the back of his eyes and wanted to close them; however a small torch was being shone in them. Grunting, he squirmed weakly and managed to turn himself away from it.

"He seems to be focusing alright – he's a little sensitive to light at the moment. Alright sonny, what's your name?" he asked.

"Sora."

"Where do you live?"

"Destiny Islands." The doctor stopped talking and blinked a few time. He turned to the other person that was with him; a few words were exchanged and he began talking again, clearing his throat before he did so.

"Right…so what's your mother's name? Do you remember?"

"Kina." The other form let out a small gush of a breath.

"Good, what's your friend's name?" Sora sighed.

"Riku." He answered quickly. This exercise was boring him – he only wished for sleep.

"Good boy. Now, Sora son…you don't live in 'Destiny Islands'; I'm not sure that place even exists my boy." Sora felt something burst within him; suddenly all the doubts, the fears; they were surfacing.

"No! That's not true! I restored it! I remember!" he shouted urgently, pushing up against the doctor's hand. The doctor pushed harder so that he couldn't move, Sora tried to make him release it by scratching it – but he was too weak.

"You've been traumatised Sora. The accident wasn't very serious, but it's affected you, that's clear." The doctor said kindly, nodding his head.

"_What_ accident! There _was_ no accident! There hasn't been anything wrong until I left Kairi on the island. It's real! I know it is – I remember growing up there!" he shouted, straining against the man's hand. He choked.

"I remember…." Tears rolled down his flushed cheeks, he felt angry and hopeless, so weak. He felt a soft hand grace his cheek and wipe a tear away; it was his mother. She bent down and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

"Will he be alright?" she asked, turning to the doctor. He sighed.

"It seems that Sora has been dreaming in his unconscious state – this isn't a bad thing, oh no; it's actually quite a good thing." He mused. "His brain has been active, so there's no chance of him being brain damaged…but…" Leaning down, he stared into Sora's sky-blue eyes.

"This dream…may have overwritten his memories. He still remembers people it seems, but everything else is different. He should be alright though, the amnesia and false memories will soon fade and he'll be back to normal." Sora coughed gently, through the sobs.

'_False…memories….'_

Kina (his mother) nodded to the doctor and watched him as he left the room, then turned back to her son; he was still sobbing. She slowly set herself down beside him and snuggled into him, wrapping her arms around him and sobbing a little herself.

"I'm so glad to have you back Sora" she said tenderly, squeezing him until he gasped "it's been such a long time since I've seen those beautiful eyes of yours, the ones your father gave you." She said softly, stroking his cheek with her thumb, staring deeply into his eyes. Sora smiled, closing his eyes and embracing his mother (or as much as his weakened body would allow him to do).

"Thanks mom…you're always there for me." Kina smiled and kissed her son on the cheek again, rising and walking out of the room to let him rest. Sora should have felt happy – he had Riku, his mother, all the people he had lost, not seen in such a long time. But he felt morbid. Darkness seemed to envelop his body, pulling and tugging at it as he silently stared at the ceiling, hardly moving, hardly breathing. He was hardly thinking either; just lying staring at the ceiling, watching the darkness becoming lighter and lighter, until –

"Yo Sora!" Sora blinked and slowly turned his head towards Riku, who had just come bounding through the door. Riku smiled at him cheerfully, putting a glass of cold water on his bedside table and sitting in the chair close to his bed. He had been carrying a small, blue plastic bag that contained a comic book and a bar of chocolate. Un-wrapping the wrapper of the chocolate bar carefully, he broke a bit off and handed it to Sora. He shook his head.

"I know you probably don't feel like eating, but this is _chocolate_. Don't worry about chewing or anything, you can just suck it, it's soft." He added cheerfully, but he received another shake of the head; this time it didn't come back to face him, only stare at the wall on the opposite side of the room. Riku's mouth twitched at the corner a little, this often happened when he was nervous.

"Uh…well I have this comic book? You can read it if you want?" Nothing. "Do you want me to help you sit up so you can have a drink?" No response.

'_Maybe he's fallen asleep?' _

Riku asked himself, he quietly got up out of his chair and walked to the other side of the bed, leaning over to see if his unresponsive friend was sleeping. His eyes were open.

'_Okaaay…maybe…with his eyes open?'_

He mused, waving a hand in front of his face swiftly. When he didn't receive a flinch, he began to panic. He walked to the side of the bed and knelt down, his nose almost pressing against Sora's, he gasped. The boy's eyes seemed dead; dull, lifeless, staring blankly through him.

"S-Sora?" he yelled panicking, placing his hand on his shoulder. Sora blinked, his eyes un-glazing a little.

"What is it." He asked bluntly, his tone not changing to suggest question. Riku sighed and relaxed himself, he was glad that he was alright.

"You scared me there buddy, I thought I'd lost you!" he laughed nervously, squeezing the boy's shoulder gently to show his feelings. Sora's expression didn't change.

"Riku….have you ever felt like you just wanted to roll over and die." Riku paled.

"What are you talking about?"

"I feel like I want to die. That's all."

"Sora…" Riku started, almost shaking the smaller boy "Do you have any idea what you're saying! Sora!" He stopped when he realised Sora was trembling, his small, thin body shuddering in his grasp. Tears ran down his face and small jerking sobs were unintentionally released from his mouth.

'_Sora…'_

Riku released his grip on the smaller boy and moved his hand to his head to stroke it, comfort him as best he could. He had thought Sora would be able to just snap out of whatever he was in and be perfectly fine, though, he couldn't have been more wrong.

"R-Riku…" Sora started, his bottom lip trembling "They said it was all a lie, everything wa-was all _unreal_! They said it was a dream!" he uttered softly through the sobs. His shoulders were shaking quite violently now. Riku took it upon himself to help his friend through this difficult time – he pulled him up from the bed and held him tightly, his hand resting gently on the base of his head.

Sora Flashback

Pitch black with gentle swirls of purple and grey danced in front of Sora's eyes as his head swam with blurred images and distant sounds; he could still hear the car zooming away…

"Sora!" Riku screamed his name; he could hear the running footsteps of his friend, see him (blurrily) above him and feel him lifting his fragile body close to him. Sora felt one strong arm wrap around his waist, while the other was on his back – the hand touching the soft feathery hair of his neck, just at the base of his skull. He could taste blood.

"S-Sora…don't….don't die on me…" he heard Riku sob. He felt the older, bigger boy pulling him closer, so that his head was resting on his chest. The elder boy' shoulders quivered and his chest heaved, as Sora fell slowly into darkness.

"Don't die!"

End flashback

Sora focused his eyes un-glazing and gaining some life back. He blinked and pulled away from Riku, tears still rolling down his rosy cheeks.

"The accident…." He squeaked "It was….a car accident right?" Riku's expression changed suddenly – like someone telling you that the loved one you thought would die is going to be alright. The look of that sheer relief and happiness forced a smile to Sora's lips.

'_He really does care….'_

"So you remember what happened? That's great! It means you're getting better!" Riku shouted happily, hammering both his hands down on the smaller boy's shoulders – almost shattering his weak frame. "Sorry!" he uttered, gently rubbing his shoulders to compensate.

"But…" Sora started "If I'm remembering this….does that mean I'm forgetting something of my dream? My false memories?" he asked, more to himself than Riku.

"Hmm…I suppose maybe. Why do you care so much Sora? It was just a stupid dream. It means nothing." Sora's head lowered.

"….nothing…." he reiterated "No that's not possible, it can't be possible. I experienced so much there…it can't all be a lie. I know it can't – you were there with me every day, we were best friends…."

"We _are_ best friends Sora, you're my bud." Said Riku with a casual smile.

"Thanks…you're mine too! But…I know it was real Riku, I know it in my heart." Riku regarded his friend. He had been with Sora for almost his entire lifetime; he knew for a fact that he must have been dreaming. Smiling, he broke off another piece of chocolate.

"I know Sora…if you believe it in your heart – then I wont question it. I'll be beside you pal." He said coolly "Here…have some chocolate."

Sora just laughed and took the piece from him, placing the soft warm slab of chocolate onto his tongue, savouring the sweetness as much he could. He had been staring at Riku when he noticed something peculiar, something he hadn't noticed at first.

"Riku, you……need to shave." He said quietly, staring at the older boy in awe. Riku blinked and touched his chin, rubbing it a little with his fingers. He laughed for a moment and smiled.

"You're right, I do. I must have forgotten this morning." Sora frowned.

"How old are you?" he asked bluntly. Riku almost choked on a piece of chocolate he had just placed in his mouth.

"Ha-ha, I'm 17 you dork. You should know that!" Sora's eyes widened.

'_17? That's 2 years older than when…'_

"So I'm…16 then?" he asked sheepishly. Riku nodded, giving him another piece of chocolate. Sora thanked him and gobbled the delicious morsel. Finishing, he noticed his fingers were covered in chocolate and was about to lick them when he felt Riku's soft touch on his face, making him gasp.

"You've got no facial hair yet though…yer still a baby." He laughed. Sora snorted.

'_Riku…it's…my old Riku from before the heartless came…Riku…'_


End file.
